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Show Tax gr oiip decries high taxes 0 When compared to personal income, in-come, Utah taxes in 1986 ranked as the eighth highest in the nation, according to the recent issue of "How Utah Compares" prepared by the Utah Taxpayers Association. Associa-tion. And 1987 was expected to be even worse because of massive tax increases last year which are expected ex-pected to move the Beehive State up another two or three notches. The latest Department of Commerce Com-merce figures show that Utah's ranking increased one notch from ninth to eighth place nationwide nation-wide in 1985. In 1983, the state's ranking was a respectable 17th place. State and local taxes cut into personal per-sonal income by 11.76 in 1986, the seventh highest in the nation and up from eighth place in 1985 and 11th place the previous year. Personal income per household at the same time in 1986 totaled just over $35,500. Personal income per capita the same year was just under $11,000 or 49th among the 50 states. West Virginia had the lowest income per capita, $10,573. Sales taxes in Utah ranked ninth highest in the nation when compared com-pared to both personal income and number of households. It ranked No. 15 when compared to population. popula-tion. Individual income taxes based on per $1,000 was 13th highest in the nation, 14th per household, and 19th per capita. Utah's property taxes ranked 24th place compared to personal income; 26th place compared to per household; and 33rd place when compared to per capita. "At the same time, cities, counties, coun-ties, school districts, improvement districts and other entities are doing everything possible to keep local taxes at a low level," commented com-mented Jack A. Olson, executive director of Utah Taxpayers Association, Asso-ciation, a non-profit organization that monitors tax problems and lobbies the State Legislature for improved tax reforms. He said that he expects so-called tax reforms to be "inequitable and somewhat damaging." "Many taxpayers will get hit with a double-whammy higher 1987 federal income taxes heaped on top of higher state income taxes," he said. Mr. Olson criticized the new federal fed-eral law as a "CPA's make-work program" because forms are more complicated and higher taxes have been piled, upon businesses and middle and upper income taxpayers. tax-payers. He said the biggest surprise to hit Utah taxpayers is to find out that they can no longer claim as a deduction de-duction on the state return the federal fed-eral income taxes paid. "Local taxpayers are now paying a tax upon a tax," he said, and then asked, "Is this supposed to be tax reform?" Mr. Olson did, however, tip his hat to the Davis School District for trying to "hold the line" with taxes by following a four-point plan which calls for: (1) no new school construction; (2) implementation of boundary changes to balance school utilization; (3) use of extended-day or year-round schools to handle large school populations; and (4) remodeling and building additions to secondary schools instead in-stead of building new junior and senior high schools. |